Farouk Lawan regains his freedom after serving five year jail term

Former House of Representatives member, Farouk Lawan, today October 22 regained his freedom after serving his five-year jail term in Kuje prison. Lawan was convicted and sentenced to prison in 2021 for accepting a $500,000 bribe from businessman, Femi Otedola, in a sting operation by the businessman.

Video footage had made the rounds on social media at the time showing Lawan stuffing wads of currency notes in his outfit and underneath his cap.

Lawan was accused of demanding $3 million from Femi Otedola to remove Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited (Otedola’s former company) from the list of oil companies allegedly involved in the petrol subsidy fraud in 2012. He was arrested and then arraigned on seven counts of bribery by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for collecting $500,000 bribe from Otedola.

The charge was later amended to three counts. On June 22, 2021, Justice Angela Otaluka of a Federal capital territory High court in Apo, convicted Lawan on all three counts and sentenced him to seven years imprisonment.

Lawan then approached the Court of Appeal where the court discharged and acquitted the former lawmaker on two out of the three counts on which he was convicted.The appellate court also reduced his jail term to five years from seven years. The court however affirmed his conviction on the only remaining offence which the lower court punished with five years jail term.

Lawan then went to the Supreme court for his conviction to be squashed but his application was however dismissed by the court.